Posts tagged ‘Eco/sustainablity’

“British design duo Azusa Murakami & Alexander Groves from the creative design company Studio Swine have recently created a collection of sustainable fashion eyewear exploring the potential of all things, human hair. The Trend Boutique feel this new range can be seen as a more commercial & sustainable interpretation of our recent direction for developing products from human momentos seen within our Autumn Winter 2012-13 Fragility trend report.

The idea behind this new collection is a really clever one, as Studio Swine explores how the booming market for hair extensions can be expanded beyond the beauty industry and make use of the high level of waste created once the extensions are removed to make a new product that is equally desirable. The UK beauty industry imports 15 million pounds worth of human hair per year and as the demand shows no signs of abating human hair has been reimagined as a viable and most importantly renewable material.”

“Sports and lifestyle brand Puma has instituted a new accounting methodology that it says will lead to the first-ever Environmental Profit and Loss EP&L statement. The EP&L statement will attempt to measure the full economic impact of the brand on ecosystem services. Ecosystem services is the term given to the valuable, natural functions of the planet’s ecological systems, such as water and air filtration. For years, sustainability advocates have called for corporate accounting systems that recognize the value of these services in an effort to protect and preserve them.” Read the full article atPuma Could Be First Brand To Measure Impact on Ecosystem Services | Sustainable Life Media.

The future is green, as could be seen from the ‘Green Exhibition’ at this year’s Heimtextil.

“Called ‘Welcome to Utopia’ by designers Anne Marie Commandeur and Arie Vervelde of Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, the ‘Green Exhibition’ comprised a landscape with white windmill fields, clouds of over-sized balloons and heavenly staircases made of light wood.

It was striking that the exhibition refrained from raising a warning finger but rather seemed to say we still have time to change things and will be given a second chance if we re-focus on essentials.

In the case of the ‘Green Exhibition’, however, it was not only the sustainable, natural-coloured textiles to be seen hanging from stands, draped over tables and scattered around Bedouin tents that attracted attention.

Considerable interest was also shown in the information on the walls, e.g., details about the Heimtextil Green Directory, a list of eco-labels and certificates, such as ‘The Blue Angel’ and the ‘FSC Forest Stewardship Council’, which help consumers not only to find sustainable home and household textiles, but also prompt them to rethink their buying habits in general and as a whole.”

The Trend Boutique would like to invite you to their forthcoming Global vs Ethical conference on Wednesday, 24th November 2010.

With an amazing array of speakers presenting at this one-day conference talking about the latest thinking within our global fashion & textiles industry with lots of different perspectives & comments on what it takes to be a sustainable & ethical label.

To book a place you can do so by debit / credit card by telephone on 0115 952 9116 or 950 7079 or via See Tickets (www.seetickets.com) – please note an additional booking fee will apply to online purchases.

We welcome all students & lecturers to attend, however if any additional Ethical Fashion Forum members wish to attend they can book at the same rate as lecturers – but must book direct on the above telephone numbers.

n. 1 a: A Sanskrit term meaning to do no harm—literally translated as “the avoidance of violence”—or in the context of silk-fiber production, the ethical treatment of mulberry-eating silkworms. b: In lieu of boiling the silk cocoon to prematurely release strands of filament-like fiber, Ahimsa silk is extracted only after a metamorphosing worm has emerged from its cocoon, allowing it to complete an entire life cycle unharmed. c: A luxurious, airy, and soft-to-the-touch alternative to conventional silk, popular with the enlightened eco-fashion designers Bahar Shahpar, Bodkin, Ivana Basilotta, Minna, Mr. Larkin, and Enamore.

“Design network The Quiet Riot is set to host a workshop in collaboration with Your Climate TV during the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The workshop, sponsored by the Danish Foreign Ministry, will take place tomorrow at parallel event Klimaforum, which bills itself as ‘the people’s climate summit’, on the theme of ‘designing sustainability’.

The ideas generated during the workshop will be critiqued by a public audience and a panel of experts including Michael Braungart, co-founder of the eco-focused cradle-to-cradle movement.

Martin Hoenle, founder of The Quiet Riot, says, ‘There’s a lot going on with Green and eco issues, but it’s still not mainstream. The workshop will look at how to capture consumers.’

He adds, ‘A lot of stuff needs complete rethinking. Some things ideally would be started from scratch, but as this is often not possible, there needs to be a radical approach to eco-design.

‘Three-quarters of design projects have been totally decided before the designer is involved, and then it’s too late to bring in eco-friendly influences. The design process might have to change a bit.’

Your Climate TV will stream the two-hour event live, and The Quiet Riot will post extracts on its website after the workshopwww.yourclimate.tv.”

On the 16th December YourClimate.TV, in collaboration with thequietriot.com, will run a workshop with the theme Designing Sustainability in the afternoon. The workshop will be evaluated and critiqued by a public audience as well as Michael Braungart, the founder of the Cradle to Cradle movement in a talk show in the evening.

“Sustainable design

Design has to be quiet, he said.

It has to stop shouting.

We are living in a designed world…. products, buildings, transport, cities, landscapes, services, experiences, pretty much everything is designed.

We as consumers are shouting for novelty: more products, services and experiences are needed every day.

To satisfy this demand, our designs are shouting for more resources and energy that we do not have available. We are living on the credit of future generations. We are causing massive pollution.

The climate is changing. The impact will be negative – maybe disastrous.

Can we stop shouting for constant novelty? Can design stop shouting for more energy and resources? Can design be quiet?

“To better understand how sustainability influences a consumer’s shopping behavior and the resulting market opportunities for companies targeting these consumers, Deloitte — in conjunction with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) — conducted a new study of more than 6,000 customers in 11 major retailers of varying formats concerning their purchasing experience and how sustainable considerations affected their decision making in the store and at the shelf level. The study confirms that a significant portion of consumers are now considering social and environmental benefits as part of their calculation of product value and purchasing decisions. In addition, it highlights the shopper insights needed to bring new sales and marketing leading practices to consumer product companies, and their retail partners.

Led by Peter Capozucca, Sustainability Lead for Consumer Products and Scott Bearse, Sustainability Lead for Retail, both of Deloitte Consulting LLP, the study addresses essential questions about how shoppers are integrating social and environmental values into their purchasing behaviors. Specifically, it focused on addressing the following key questions:

* Who is the sustainable consumer?

* How does sustainability influence the purchasing decision?

* How would the consumer like to be communicated to about sustainability?

* How does the retail environment influence sustainability purchasing decisions?

* What are the key lessons in the area of sustainability consumer trends?“

“PONTEFRACT – [30.11.09] Did you know that the EU Eco-Flower label will have its own social criteria in 2010? Did you know that the bluesign standard will open up its technology box to make it one of the most transparent as well as one of the most wide-ranging eco-textile labels? Did you know that as of June 2009 Eco-Cert is now also accredited to certify to the Organic Exchange 100 and Organic Exchange Blended (OE) Standards?

These are just some of the many updates to over 35 different eco-textile labels, organic standards and certifying organisations that will feature in the second edition of the Eco-Textile Labelling Guide, which will be published in March 2010.”

“TAIPEI – [01.12.09] Buyers from some of the world’s leading outdoor apparel brands were out in force at the recent Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show (TITAS 2009) on the look out for the latest eco-textile and functional products.

Despite the economic downturn, over a hundred brand representatives visited the exhibition, held at the Taipei World Trade Centre, including Lafuma and Eider from France, sports gear giant Under Armour, Norway’s Helly Hansen, outdoor wear supplier BAILO, Canada’s Coalision, and Japanese brand Eiheiji Sizing.

TITAS has long been regarded as a solid sourcing platform for functional textiles, and is said to be ideal for buyers looking for speciality products such as fibres, yarns and fabrics with moisture transferring properties, water-proofing, antibacterial properties, deodorant and UV-protective attributes.

Among the highlights at this latest edition was the introduction of a range of environmentally friendly collections which also offered the much sought after functionality.

The Nan Ya company presented its environmentally friendly biodegradable polyester, Apexa, which is said to ‘naturally break down’ into CO2 and water when composted. The company also introduced the PET-bottle recycled fibre EcoGreen, which is made using Nan Ya`s own chemical and mechanical production methods.

Editors note: Tests carried out on fabrics in Japan show that under the correct composting conditions, Apexa fibres break down completely in a 45 day period. Composting was done at temperatures around 60 degrees C, at a pH 8 and in a mixture of water, rice husk and (hold your nose) pig excrement.

The Far Eastern Textile Corp., one of Taiwan’s major manufacturers of synthetic fibres and textiles, launched its TopGreen fibre products made from recycled PET-bottles while Daai Eco Products showcased its eco-friendly shirts, blankets, and scarves designed and produced by the Daai Technology Co. through waste-recycling processes. Fabrics made from Daai’s yarns are said to disperse sweat quickly and have a high moisture absorbency that keeps the wearer cool and comfortable. These fabrics can be integrated into other manufacturing processes allowing clients to create innovative products from 100% recycled PET content, the company said.”

“Unfortunately, greenwashing exists everywhere, including the fashion industry. The minute the industry recognizes a trend, everyone jumps on it. And one of the trends of the moment is “going green.” Many companies say something is “eco” because it’s a natural fabric. Or they use an organic fabric and blend it with a synthetic and say it’s “sustainable.” Well, to me, these are eco-lies. Creating truly green fashion requires honesty and commitment—the fibers must be grown at certified organic farms, and they can’t be blended with synthetics or dyed or bleached with chemicals.”